A new Google Inc. Chromebook Pixel laptop is displayed for a photograph during a launch event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. Google Inc., owner of the world's most popular search engine, debuted a touchscreen version of the Chromebook laptop, stepping up its challenge to Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc. in hardware. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

A model of the Google Chromebook Pixel laptop computer is shown at an announcement in San Francisco, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Photo: Jeff Chiu, Associated Press

A model of the Google Chromebook Pixel laptop computer is shown at...

Image 7 of 12

A new Google Inc. Chromebook Pixel laptop is displayed for a photograph during a launch event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. Google Inc., owner of the worlds most popular search engine, debuted a touchscreen version of the Chromebook laptop, stepping up its challenge to Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc. in hardware. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Photo: David Paul Morris, Bloomberg

A new Google Inc. Chromebook Pixel laptop is displayed for a...

Image 8 of 12

A new Google Inc. Chromebook Pixel laptop is displayed for a photograph during a launch event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. Google Inc., owner of the world's most popular search engine, debuted a touchscreen version of the Chromebook laptop, stepping up its challenge to Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc. in hardware. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Photo: David Paul Morris, Bloomberg

A new Google Inc. Chromebook Pixel laptop is displayed for a...

Image 9 of 12

An attendee tries out the new Google Inc. Chromebook Pixel laptop during a launch event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013. Google Inc., owner of the worlds most popular search engine, debuted a touchscreen version of the Chromebook laptop, stepping up its challenge to Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc. in hardware. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Photo: David Paul Morris, Bloomberg

An attendee tries out the new Google Inc. Chromebook Pixel laptop...

Image 10 of 12

A Chromebook Pixel is on display on February 21, 2013 as Google unveiled in San Francisco the touch-screen notebook computer designed for high-end users. Google said its Chromebook Pixel computers blending tablet and laptop technology, boasting heavyweight Intel chips and screens tailored for rich graphics, were released in the United States and Britain. AFP PHOTO/GLENN CHAPMANGLENN CHAPMAN/AFP/Getty Images

As I spent a week test driving Google's Chromebook Pixel laptop, I suddenly appreciated how the parent of a klutz must feel watching him flounder around a soccer field.

You're really rooting for him, but deep down, you know he's not going to score.

The Mountain View technology company designed and built the high-end laptop as a showcase for cloud computing, highlighting the grand possibilities when a machine leans online for most of its processing, storage and applications.

Google has released earlier Chromebooks, but none with the raw horsepower, top-line features or thoughtful design of the touch-screen Pixel.

What triggered my paternal feelings is that my own head is already in the cloud. There are huge advantages to working (and playing) this way, so I'm as eager as Google to leap ahead to a purely online mode of computing.

The problem is that the world is lagging behind, as became evident various times during my week relying on the Pixel as my primary device and attempting to live in the cloud as much as possible.

That's not to say the Pixel isn't, in many respects, a great machine - and that Google doesn't deserve considerable credit for taking risks to push technology forward. This is the single most impressive thing about a company that's also working on self-driving cars and Internet-equipped glasses.

But for now, a machine that relies so heavily on the cloud requires clear sacrifices of its users - and that's asking a lot for a product that starts at $1,299.

The good

The first thing that became obvious when I sat down with the Pixel is that it's beautiful. The design stands well above the crowd of commodity Windows laptops, with its dark gray machined-aluminum body and a sturdy silver hinge, reminiscent of one on a door.

The default desktop screen, a beach framed by mountains cast in Golden Hour glow, is a striking introduction to the high-resolution display. At 239 pixels per inch, it edges out the density of Apple's MacBook Pro with Retina display, meaning images far more crisp and rich than those on the average screen.

It's also fast. The LTE wireless service from Verizon, included for two years with the top-end model ($1,449), was often speedier than the Wi-Fi connection in my office.

The Intel Core i5 processor is more than adequate for a machine that, really, doesn't do much more than run a Web browser. And the lightweight Chrome operating system starts up in a flash.

Because I already spend most of my workday in Google's Chrome browser, I was up and running in a familiar environment within moments of logging on. All my bookmarks, Web apps and plug-ins were right where I wanted them. I was logged into Gmail, and my Google Drive and Evernote files were a couple clicks away.

This universal access is one of my favorite advantages of the cloud. Other big ones: Application and security updates happen automatically, with nary a call to IT. You can pick up a video from precisely where you left off on a different device, or a document from the last edit of a colleague. And you can call up files from any device and any location, and work on them for hours without ever having to press save.

The bad

But it didn't take long to hit some bumps.

The Chronicle's editorial systems manager, who has been evaluating a Chromebook for use by the staff, told me there is no way yet for the Pixel to directly access the main application the newsroom relies on, an outdated version of CCI NewsDesk.

Windows machines and Macs can get on to the program remotely using a Citrix plug-in. But while there is a similar one available for Chrome, it requires all associated servers and operating systems to be up to date.

There are a handful of services that promise to allow you to take control of the entire desktop remotely. But they all raised security concerns for our IT department.

For the sake of the review, they granted me limited permission to try a few. None of them worked until the final day of the trial period, when one service finally allowed me to take control of CCI via the Pixel.

The problem

Truth be told, using a remote desktop connection is an inelegant solution, since it means you're still relying on a separate computer. That undermines one of the purported strengths of the Pixel: that it can serve as one's primary, stand-alone device. Those connections also tend to be sluggish and squirrelly.

None of this is Google's fault, of course. But it's worth pointing out because it's a problem many users would face in the real world, where lots of businesses rely on aging enterprise software not originally designed for online use.

The other issue I ran into, predictably, was the lack of third-party applications. Many popular programs aren't available on the Pixel because developers haven't bothered creating a version specifically for the Chrome browser.

The list of software was long for me: Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Skype, Photoshop, Illustrator, Final Cut, After Effects and iTunes.

Google points out that there are substitutes for most popular applications, like Google Drive productivity applications, YouTube's Video Editor and the Google Play music and video library.

Sensing a pattern?

These Google products underscore how the company is uniquely situated for a world in which all computing happens in the cloud. So working in that environment nudges you toward their services - even when they're not your first choice.

The takeaway

Google recognizes the power of ecosystems and is trying to replicate the virtuous cycle that Apple and Microsoft enjoy through their hugely popular operating systems: Making money from their own software, as well as from the products of third-party developers and media companies, which also help increase the popularity of the operating systems.

But Chrome OS isn't there yet.

YouTube's application is nowhere near a complete substitute for a feature-rich program like Final Cut. Likewise, Google Play's library can't touch iTunes. And many of Google's applications are buggy, with drop-down menus that won't go away, and odd and unpredictable cut-and-paste issues.

Meanwhile, many third-party developers simply don't want to build Web apps because, as Facebook famously learned, it's still hard to offer the same functions and speed when everything is running in the cloud.

The other way

In a memorable scene during the fourth season of HBO's "The Wire," the ruthless drug dealer Marlo Stanfield swipes a few lollipops from a store.

The security guard, who recognizes Stanfield, follows him outside and asks him why he disrespected him by lifting the candy in plain sight.

"You want it to be one way," Stanfield says several times. Then, just before walking off, he adds: "But it's the other way."

The scene came to mind as I struggled to get the Pixel to fit into my daily work reality. I found the clip on YouTube, but had to turn to my iTunes library to rewatch the full episode.

Google wants it to be one way: A world where we can live in the cloud today, and Chrome already boasts a competitive lineup of software and media offerings. But as much as I'm rooting for the long-term vision, right now, it's the other way.